Briefs

Four-firm consortium to build R&D solar plant in Prachuap

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) awarded a Bt372 million solar-power plant construction contract to a consortium of four Chinese companies.

Hydrochina International Engineering Co, Yingli Energy (Beijing) Co, Hebei Electric Power Design & Research Institute, and Wattanasuk Engineering Co will build the 5-megawatt solar power plant in Prachuap Khiri Khan, said Egat governor Soonchai Kumnoonsate. The plant will be a centre of research and development of renewable energy. To achieve this goal, it will utilise four types of solar cells for comparison of their production efficiency.

The first of these is a monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) unit that will be installed alongside a weight-tracking system that was developed by Egat. The c-Si cell has the ability to generate up to 1MW.

The second type of solar cell is called amorphous silicon (a-Si), which can generate 2MW, and the remaining two are called micro-crystalline amorphous silicon and copper indium (gallium) di-selenide. Both types can generate up to 1MW.

More power plants from renewable sources is part of Egat’s mission to reduce carbon emission in power generating. Thailand has the policy to increase the use of renewable energy to 25 per cent over the next 10 years.

Asean Exchanges’ appointment

Deutsche Bank has been appointed by the Asean Exchanges to provide custody and settlement services to market participants of the Asean Exchange link in the participating countries – initially Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Through their post-trade link strategy, the seven Asean Exchanges aim to provide brokers who conduct trades into any of the participating Asean Exchanges with a single point of entry, thereby allowing them to settle and hold securities listed at other participating Asean Exchanges via Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Bank will provide settlement, foreign-exchange and custody services to the brokers in the participating countries.

Money Expo sees Bt93 bn move

The 14th Money Expo, which ended on Sunday, saw Bt93 billion worth of financial and investment service transactions as 900,000 people attended the four-day fair.

According to Money & Banking magazine, the organiser of the event, the highest transaction value was for home loans, totalling more than Bt67 billion, even though several banks did not offer zero-interest mortgage packages at the fair.

Loans to small and medium-sized enterprises chalked up the second-highest transaction amount at Bt17 billion. Visitors this year were more interested in applying for credit cards, because many financial institutions offered promotions and quick approval at the fair to attract customers.